When Heavy Wings Grow Lighter
by FandomsAreLoveFandomsAreLife
Summary: The sky was on fire. Dan's body hit the cold, grey ocean, and he died instantly. But Death won't stop him from living on. He learns something that puts everything he has ever known into question. Will he get a second chance, or will he roam the world of the dead? [Phan] [Angel AU] [Oneshot] [Title is from an Owl City song]


_**Disclaimer: I don't own Dan or Phil. I am not claiming any of this is true. The angels in this story are ones I have invented myself and I am not trying to insult anyone's religion in any way.**_

* * *

Dan never intended to fall.

He was happy. He had friends, family, a degree, a life. He might not have been the cheeriest of people, and maybe he contemplated life and the universe a little too much, but he appreciated life in general.

Dan wasn't sitting on the cliff's edge because he planned on throwing himself off. He was just appreciating the sunset, and how it reflected off the grey-green sea below him. He love how the setting sun seemed to light the sky on fire, and brighten up the dull sea. It was a summer's evening, and a warm breeze brushed across his skin. It was weird, but the wind seemed almost... conscious. He shrugged it off, and just tried to enjoy it after the gnawing cold of winter for so long.

The setting sun seemed so _close_. Dan reached his hand out to the giant ball of red and gold, knowing perfectly well that there was no way on God's earth he would be able to touch it. Just as he let his arm fall and the tips of his fingers graze against the dry soil, the warm breeze stopped.

Dan didn't think much of this. He was leaning forward, trying to catch a last glimpse of the sun before he had to go home. But then the wind picked up again.

It was a different kind of draught. It was icy and biting, and completely extinguished the warm, bubbly feeling he got from watching the sunset. Dan decided it was time to go home.

The brunette started getting up, but once he was the most vulnerable, what was previously just a gust, turned into a gale. He lost his balance, trying to grasp at objects that weren't there. _So this is how I'm going to die._

Dan fell backwards, and all he could do was watch as the cliff he used to be sitting on got further and further away from him.

The moment before he hit the ocean that, just minutes ago, he had been admiring, Dan thought he saw two figures standing where he had just been sitting.

Darkness.

* * *

When Dan awoke, he couldn't feel any pain. He seemed to be lying on something cold and smooth. Opening his eyes and blinking blearily, Dan looked around.

He was lying on his side in... nowhere. It was like the King's Cross as the end of _Harry Potter_. There was simply blank whiteness in every direction. He looked down and saw that he was wearing the exact clothes he was wearing when he... fell off a cliff.

It all came rushing back. Was he in Heaven? If so, it was quite boring. And where was everyone?

Just as Dan thought that, he noticed a man standing a little distance away. Dan's vision still hadn't completely cleared, so man's features were a bit fuzzy. He seemed to be studying Dan like he was a very important experiment. Behind him, there seemed to be two blurry swirls of green, blue and yellow.

The man walked over, and the colors followed him. Dan sat up, and noticed that the man wasn't much older than himself. A couple of years, maybe.

He had onyx hair styled in a fringe, falling over his left eyebrow. His skin was a pale ivory. But, by far the most noticeable thing about him was his eyes. They were, undoubtedly, gorgeous. A sparkling blue, flecked with shades of emerald and yellow.

"Hi," The guy said, staring at Dan. "My name's Phil."

"Why am I here?" Dan asked the question in a slightly demanding tone, but he didn't care. He wanted answers, and he wasn't going to get them by being silent.

Phil flinched. "Well... you kinda... died." Dan brought his hands up to his mouth. Why? Why did it have to be him? He didn't realize he was crying until the burning sensation that had been building in his eyes trickled down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Phil did look genuinely sorry. His multicolored eyes flashed with sympathy, and placed a pale hand on Dan's shoulder. His fingers were long and slim, perfect for playing piano.

"What happened to me?" Dan whispered as pearly teardrops continued to roll down his face, caressing his cheekbones.

"Well, I noticed an angel of Death had-"

"Wait, what?" Dan hadn't really meant to interrupt Phil. But he couldn't believe his ears. What was Phil on about, an angel of Death? Was that a metaphor? Had Phil somehow seen omens, or something? Was it a superstitious thing?

"I should probably start from the beginning. Okay, so this is kind of big news for you," Phil paused, and sat down next to Dan instead of crouching, his joints cracking as he moved from the uncomfortable position. "We live in a world of angels and gods."

There was a silence so loud that it pierced the ears.

"What do you mean?" Dan wouldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. Angels? Gods?

"Us angels are the descendants of gods. I'm a grandson of Apollo." Dan blinked his dark, chocolate eyes slowly. His long eyelashes had tiny droplets hanging off them from when he had been crying. Dan brushed away the one last tear that had escaped from his eye.

"You're one of them?"

Phil laughed, and gestures to the colors behind him. "What do you think these are?"

Dan focused on the blurry mess of colors. Now that he focused on them, he could see that they were... wings. Big wings.

Phil spread his wings, and Dan could get a better look at them. They were a strange pattern, like flannel. The feathers were green, yellow and blue. Beautiful.

"So," Dan forced a laugh. "Now that I know that, what is an angel of Death?" He was trying to hide how truly terrified he was. Everything he had ever understood was now put into question.

"Well." Phil swept a stray lock of raven hair away from his cerulean eyes. "All of us angels have a job. We call it our sphere. As in, 'I'm in the sphere of Healing.' Well, an angel of Death is just an angel who is in the sphere of Death."

"Why did they kill me?" Dan inquired. But, what he really wanted to ask was, _WHO ARE THEY AND WHERE DO THEY LIVE?!_

"Sometimes a god wants someone dead. Sometimes the angel decides it's that person's time to die. Sometimes they just want to see what will happen. I believe the last one is what happened to you."

"Alright." Dan forced another smile, but really his wanted to murder someone. _Is that all I am?_ Dan shouted internally. _A stupid little experiment?_

"So, back to how you died. I noticed an angel of Death had been following you for a while. You seemed to be a nice enough person, so I was wondering if I would be able to save you. Spoiler alert, I wasn't." Phil let out a long breath, which caused his ebony fringe to flutter and dance in his eyes. "So now I'm here to give you a choice."

"What choice? And where _is_ here?" Dan looked around again, but still couldn't see anything.

"This is limbo, the place between life and death." Phil gestured to nothing in particular. "And I want to ask you if you want to become an angel."

Dan froze. "And that would involve?"

"You'll get a job in a certain sphere. You'll get an apartment on Mount Olympus. You'll get wings, obviously." Phil let out a weak giggle. "You won't be immortal, but angels live a lot, a _lot_ , longer than mortals. You'll get a second chance at life." Phil beamed at him.

That did sound quite attractive. "And the other option is...?" Dan asked softly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the other option, but his curiosity got the better of him. _Curiosity killed the Dan,_ his mother might have said in that moment. Dan felt a nauseous feeling hit him full in the face once he realized he would probably never see her again.

"If you choose the other option, you will go down to the Underworld, and you will be put into one of three afterlives. You'll probably end up in the Fields of Asphodel, meaning basically you'll wander around doing nothing and thinking nothing for eternity."

Dan swallowed. "I-I think I'll become an angel."

...

Dan knelt at the foot of Terotos, the god of angels. He stared at the god's giant, snow-white throne. It was so spotless, Dan could have eaten off it without any fear of bacteria.

The god himself had sleek black hair, the color of ink. He had tanned, caramel-colored skin and emerald eyes that flashed with power. He was wearing a long, silky robe, which was cobalt blue. Terotos was both the most beautiful thing Dan had ever seen, and the most terrifying.

"Hmm." The god stroked his beard, which was the color of a raven's wing. "What are the names of your parents?"

Nervously, Dan stuttered them out, while Phil squeezed his shoulder. On the was to Terotos's palace, Dan had learned that Phil was an angel of Luck. As in, he caused miracles in people's lives. Dan had to admire him for that.

Terotos placed a godly hand on Dan's head.

"I christen you Daniel James Howell, angel of Wonder, son of John and Mary Howell."

* * *

 _Five Years Later_

Dan was glad he became an angel. He loved everything about it.

His job was to subconsciously lead people to beautiful locations and to fill them with awe. Truly, he never got sick of watching people's faces light up and their lips part slightly as they witnessed the elegance of nature. Whether it was a waterfall or a hidden meadow, no one seemed to be able to tear their eyes away it as soon as they caught a glimpse of whichever splendor Dan had shown them.

He loved his apartment. It was built fairly high up on Mount Olympus, so he had a gorgeous view of the lush, shamrock-green forests in every direction. It had big windows that let in a ton of light. The floorboards were a dark mocha, and the wallpaper was cream. The couches were velvety and dark navy. His bed was king-sized and the sheets were jet black. Dan wasn't sure who had built his home or how they knew just what he wanted, but he did know that it was his dream home.

He loved his wings. They were like Phil's, flannel-patterned, but they were different shades of black and grey. Dan didn't mind, because it meant that his wings went with all his outfits. He loved the feeling of wind under his feathers as he flew.

He loved his boyfriend. After completing the ceremony to become an angel, he and Phil quickly became close friends. Dan learned that Phil had been an angel for about six years before he met Dan. Eventually, Dan developed a crush on his friend. Tension was built, feelings were confessed, and thankfully, Phil felt the same way. He and Dan were now in a close romantic relationship.

Dan never intended to fall, but that doesn't mean he isn't happy anymore.

* * *

 **Jesus CHRIST. This is the longest oneshot I've ever written. And, for the first time, I'm actually feeling something when I finish it off. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy with my other oneshots, but I actually worked on this one for several hours straight, and now it's just... over. This isn't actually the first Angel AU I've written, but the other one is for a different fandom. I never thought I would actually get around to writing this, so I'm actually surprising myself by how fast I wrote this. I mean, it did take me a long time, but I expected that I would put off finishing this until the end of time.**

 **~FALFAL**


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